Traveling contact device



E LUNDQVIST TRAVELING'CONTACT DEVICE. v ,159. Patented Oot.- 19, 1897.

(N o Model.)

Nrrnn STATES EMIL LUNDQvIs'T, or Prrrssune, PENNSYLVANIA.

TRAVELING CONTACT DEVICE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 592,150, dated October19, 1897.

Application filed October 28, 1896. Serial No. 610.319. (No model.)

To all whom it mayuoonoern:

Be it known that I; EMIL LUNDQVIsT, a subject of the King of Sweden andNorway, residingat Pittsburg, in the county of Allegheny andState' of-Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and useful Improvements bydeclare the following to be a full, clear7 and exact description of theinvention, such as willenable others skilled in the art to which itappertains to makeand use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in a traveling contact device ortrolley for electric railways, traveling cranes, canal-boats, and

other electrically-propelled vehicles where the working currentis'obtained from a conductor extending along the line of travel.

The object Vofmy invention is to provide a rolling contact that combinestwo properties essential for successful operation of devices to which myinvention relates: iirst, the establishing of a large contact-surfacebetween the working conductor and the traveling contact device, and,secondly, the provision of an elastic cushion between the conductor 'andthe rigid body of the traveling contact device in order to reduce theliability of the contact device to jump from the conductorand break thecontact therewith. Having this object in View, I provide a rollingcontact that will,

when maintained against the conductor, es'-A tablish a contact-surfacebetween the conductor and the traveling contact device that has an areagreat enough to permit a very large current to pass from the conductorto the point desired. This I accomplish by using an elastic ring orendless flexible belt, made of electric conducting material, said ringmaintained in contact with the conductor and caused to roll against thesame in such a manner that two or more separated surface lines or pointson the ring are pressed against the conductor, and owing to theelasticity of the ring and to suitably-provided means intermediatepoints or lines on thesurface of the ring are also in contact withtheconductor, all asmore fully hereinafterdescribed.

My invention'v is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-Figure lis a side view in elevation; Fig. 2, a sectional view; Fig. 3, aplan view of part of ring, and Fig. 4t a sectional detail view of ring.

Referring to the drawings, A designates an elastic ring made of anymaterial that combines the essential qualities of conductivity lfof,electricity and'elasticity, suchlas springin Traveling Contact Devices;and I do here! steel or phosphor-bronze. c The ring may be composed of asingle substance or built up of several substances.

B is a trolley-wheel rotatively mounted on an axle C', resting in thesides of the fork H, carried onv the upper end of a trolley-pole orother suitable frame that may be employed for supporting the contactdevice. The wheel B is provided with a series of separated recesses D,located on both sides of the groove of -the Wheel and in a circle havingits center the recesses. The bodyof the ring acts as a cushioned orelastic tire for the trolley-wheel.

' It will'be obvious that modifications in the form and arrangement ofthe elastic ring and the recesses and other essential elements of mytraveling contact device herein shown and described may be made vwithoutdeparting from the important features of the invention.

`Thus the recesses in the wheel may be made continuous instead of brokenor separated recesses, as above described, and the continuous elasticring may be made without the projections P. In case it may be desirableto employ continuous recesses in the wheel B', then the ring A need notbe provided with proj ections, but will rest directly in the recesses.

It is usually desirable to provide the ring A with a supplemental ringor band K', made of some good flexible electric conducting material.This supplemental ring K bears directly against the conductor, so thatwear on the elastic ring A is prevented and when the contact-surface isworn out it is only neces- IOO sary to replace it by putting in a newcontact-surface K. As the diameter of the ring A is less than thediameter of the sides of the wheel, it is necessary to have one or bothiianges removably secured to the wheel-hub, by means of bolts, screws,or other suitable means. In the drawings, the llange R is shown as beingremovable. Owing tothe fact that the diameter of the elastic ring A, orrather its outer diameter, is a little less than the diameter of thecircle in which the recesses D are located, the ring is loosely mountedin said recesses. Consequently when the ring is not pressed against theconductor it will rest on the lowest point of the recesses, but when thepressure of the frame that carries the trolley-wheel forces the wheel upagainst the conductor, that part of the elastic ring which is next totheconductor will be pressed toward the center of the wheel, while the remai nin g part is forced to conform to the shape of the recesses. Thestrength of the elastic ring is so iixed that after a certain amount ofdepression the resistance of the ring will equal the external pressureand at the same time the depressed part of the ring is flattened out onthe conductor. This tlat portion of the ring constitutes the current-transmitting su rface between the conductor and the trolley. Thepath of the current taken off the conductor is from the ring, throughthe recesses D, to the hubs of the wheel and then by means ofslidingcontacts to the wiring ofthe vehicle.

It will be noticed that owing to the construction above described theelastic ring will roll along the conductor always presenting aconsiderable length of contact-surface to the conductor. Thisconstruction secures at the same moment many contactpoints between theconductor and the ring, and each and every contact-point on thecontact-surface ot the ring remains stationary, relatively to theconductor, for a time, fixed by the distance between the extreme pointsof that part of the ring at the time being in contact with theconductor. It will be further seen that I have provided an elastic orcushioned tire between the conductor and the rigid body portion of thecontact device or trolley-wheel.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim isl. In a travelingcont-act device, in combination with a conductor, a wheel, having'recesses concentric with the axle ofthe wheel;

an elastic continuous ring, of suitable electric conducting material, onsaid wheel and supported by the walls of said recesses; means forpressing said wheel against said conductor whereby when the wheelisforced against the conductor that part of the ring so pressed will beforced toward the center of the wheel while the remaining part Oi' thering is conformed to the said recesses, substantially as described.

2. In a traveling contact device, a wheel, having recesses concentricwith4 the axle of the wheel; an elastic continuous ring, of suitableelectric conducting material supported by the walls of said recesses,substantially as described.

3. In a traveling contact device, a wheel, provided with a groove andhaving recesses concentric with the axle of the wheel on both sides ofthe groove; spokes between said recesses; an elastic continuous ring, ofsuitable electric conducting material supported by the walls of saidrecesses, substantially as described.

4. In a traveling contact device, a wheel, provided with a groove andhaving recesses concentric with the axle of the wheel on both sides ofsaid groove; spokes between said recesses; an elastic continuous ring,ol suitable electric conducting material in said groove, said ringhaving projections supported by the walls of said recesses,substailtially as described.

5. In a traveling contact device, a grooved wheel, having recessesconcentric with the wheel-axle; an elastic continuous ring, of suitableelectric conducting material in said groove and supported by the wallsof said recesses; said wheel provided with removable flanges,substantially as described.

6. In a traveling contact device, a wheel, having recesses concentricwith the axle of the wheel; an elastic continuous ring et' suitableelectric conducting material supported by the walls of said recesses,said ring provided with a supplemental ring of goed wearing and electricconducting material, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I allix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

EMIL LUNDQVIST.

\Vitnesses:

JOHN M. PREsco'r'r, Jr., W. G. DooLrTTLE.

IOO

